Erectile dysfunction (ED), commonly known as impotence, affects more than 30 million men each year. However, data shows that only about 200,000 seek help from a physician. Impotency remains largely unrecognized, as most men are uncomfortable discussing sexual problems with their doctors.

Erectile dysfunction is an inability to sustain an erection well enough to perform intercourse and ejaculation. Almost all men have trouble at some point of time due to an inactive life. However, people who are unable to have successful intercourse 75 percent of the time are considered impotent.

Conventional medicine prescribes a medication regime or surgery, which may not always be successful:

• Oral medications such as Erecaid or testosterone are effective only when the erectile dysfunction is due to testosterone levels.
• Viagra, Cialis, and Levitra, which aid to relax corpus cavernosal smooth muscle and facilitate erections, come with their side effects.
• Penile injections of Papaverine or Prostaglandin E1 affect penile blood flow and can result in prolonged erections. Another medication therapy is required to counteract the effects of injections. Such therapies may cause burning and fibrosis of the penis.
• In severe cases of erectile dysfunction, malleable or inflatable prostheses are used. These procedures require implantation and re-implantation surgeries, which are uncomfortable and are often subject to periodic failure.
• Conventional medicine largely ignores dietary factors. Men with diets high in caffeine, sugar, and alcohol are more likely to experience more ED. Men who smoke and use certain medicines recreationally can also face erectile dysfunction.
• Erectile dysfunction is often a side effect of prolonged consumption of medicines for chronic diseases and disorders, such as hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and heart diseases.
• Conventional medicine is often directed to treat the symptoms of erectile dysfunction and the etiology of the disease may be ignored.

The benefits of natural remedies for erectile dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction, in most cases, can be reversed. Though conventional medicine has revolutionized erectile dysfunction treatment, it carries too many side effects. In contrast, natural remedies for erectile dysfunction:

• Provide restoration and better overall physical regulation.
• Various herbs and animal products, as well as exercises, are used to invigorate qi (energy) in vital organs, which do not possess any side effects. These herbs improve blood flow into the organs and stimulate them.
• Natural remedies for erectile dysfunction focus on restoring the balance between various organs to achieve holism and harmony for natural sexual life.
• Natural remedies such as medicinal plants are readily available and are cost-effective.
• The aim of the treatment of erectile dysfunction using natural remedies is not for the endpoint of a penile erection but rather for a natural and harmonious sex life.
• Natural remedies aim to achieve regulation in terms of the man’s anxiety, fatigability, changing hormonal levels, insomnia, and gastroparesis.

Natural remedies are the best to treat erectile dysfunction, as the side effects are minimal. However, some herbal extracts interfere with some medications. Hence, care should be taken to minimize the negative effects of natural remedies for erectile dysfunction.